Eyewitness identification is considered one of the leading causes of wrongful conviction, accounting for more than 70 percent of exonerations revealed through DNA evidence. At the same time, such evidence remains an important tool for law enforcement to solve crimes and for the prosecution of criminal cases. Oftentimes, eyewitness identifications of a defendant are a critical point in a trial and thus it is important to begin considering the implications of eyewitness identifications from the case’s inception.
Join experienced panelists as we discuss the litigation surrounding eyewitness identifications and their admissibility. The panel addresses types of identification procedures, evaluation of identifications for suppressioon, conducting suppression hearings, and handling identification issues at trial.
Join experienced panelists as we discuss the litigation surrounding eyewitness identifications and their admissibility. The panel addresses types of identification procedures, evaluation of identifications for suppressioon, conducting suppression hearings, and handling identification issues at trial.
Course Content
2:00pm - 2:05pm - Welcome and IntroductionSarah Stancato McEvoy, Esq.,
Suffolk District Attorney's Office,
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
2:05pm - 2:25pm - Eyewitness Identification Fundamentals
Sarah Stancato McEvoy, Esq.,
Suffolk District Attorney's Office,
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Hon. James H. Budreau,
Superior Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Caitlin Fitzgerald, Esq.,
Suffolk District Attorney's Office, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Jessica L. Tripp, Esq.,
The Law Office of Jessica L. Tripp, Dorchester
2:25pm - 3:10pm - Motions to Suppress Identification
3:10pm - 3:25pm - Break
3:25pm - 4:10pm - Identifications at Trials
4:10pm - 4:35pm - Expert Witnesses
Speaker(s)
ChairSarah Stancato McEvoy, Esq.,
Suffolk District Attorney's Office,
Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Faculty
Hon. James H. Budreau,
Superior Court, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Caitlin Fitzgerald, Esq.,
Suffolk District Attorney's Office, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston
Jessica L. Tripp, Esq.,
The Law Office of Jessica L. Tripp, Dorchester
